Ravenswood, Ipswich

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For uses of "Ravenswood", see Ravenswood (disambiguation).
Part of Bonny Crescent, overlooking the Cricket pitch in Ravenswood.

Ravenswood is a district within Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. It is sited on the old Ipswich Airport to the south-east of the town. The area has grown rapidly due to private housing development. The old airport building has been transformed into small flats, and part of the terminal has been redeveloped for commercial purposes.

1172 homes have been built on the site so far, with a few hundred more to be built in the coming years, along with a planned sports park. The estate is bound to the north by Nacton Road, bound to the west and south west by Gainsborough Sports Centre and the Orwell County Park. It is also bound to the south by the A14 and a disused airport access road.

Construction[]

Formation sculpture by Rick Kirby at entrance to Ravenswood.
Handstanding sculpture by Martin Heron near Ravenswood Primary School

The development was planned to be environmentally sensitive. Space for cars is limited, with traffic calming measures and frequent bus service links to the town centre. Mixed cycle paths and walkways are also a feature. Incorporated into the design of the buildings and sewers is a sustainable urban drainage system which allows rainfall to be returned to the environment without going through the sewerage system.

A number of pieces of public art have been installed: "Formation" by Rick Kirby at the entrance, designed to commemorate the areas links with aviation; "Handstanding" by Martin Heron near the school; "Green Wind 2" by Diane Maclean as a focal point beyond the end of Downham Boulevard on the Tump; and "Propeller" by has been placed adjacent to the green.[1]

The estate was mostly built by Persimmon plc and Bellway, as well as Charles Church to the South of the estate. 4 restaurants and also built on the entrance to the estate.

In Autumn 2019, a resident discovered an untapped fund for community projects from Bellway , who built many of the houses on the estate, which totalled about £60000.[2] Soon after Some of the fund was used to pave a dirt track from the edge of the estate to the country park near on the nearby . More recently, a new fencing project has closed off some of the nearby meadows which houses Rare Skylarks. The area is also a habitat for Muntjac deer , ladybirds and lizards.

At the end of 2019, plans for The Steven Hawking Neurological Centre next to Bluebird lodge along the South of the estate. It has a planned capacity of 24 residents and will be a local centre for the charity running the site. As of December 2021, no construction has occurred yet, but it may begin in 2022.[3]

In March 2021, Ipswich Borough Council approved plans from , a housing company owned by Ipswich Borough Council, for 96 new homes on areas U, V, and W. There is a lot of criticism about the plans, due to the high number of social homes in the same place, potentially breaking the 35:65 social to private home plan that made the estate successful and attractive for residents. Despite these criticisms, construction will begin in early 2022, and it will go ahead as planned.[4]

As the end of 2021 approaches, plans are being discussed to separate each side of the estate at the primary school. But none of the plans have been approved just yet.

Amenities[]

Ravenswood Community Primary School.

Ravenswood has a primary school with a good Ofsted rating, sports centre and an NHS independent care centre. A retirement home named after Jamie Cann the MP for Ipswich who died in 2001 is also in the area. Behind the former airport terminal building, which has been converted into apartments, a small shopping centre has been built with one public house. is near to the area. There is also a large 2 building care home to the south known as Bluebird Lodge.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Public Art for Ravenswood". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
  2. ^ Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2019-08-31). "£59k funding pot to be made available to Ipswich estate". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  3. ^ Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2019-06-26). "Decision made on new neurological injury centre in Ipswich". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  4. ^ Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2021-03-10). "Decision made on Ravenswood 96 homes plan". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.

External links[]


Coordinates: 52°01′46″N 1°11′44″E / 52.02943°N 1.19543°E / 52.02943; 1.19543

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